Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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Frank Ockenfels/AMC
AMC's planned The Walking Dead spinoff is now quite possibly going to be a prequel detailing just how the zombie plague was created, as reported by TVLine. So far, the reaction from fans has been a dispassionate, zombie-like "enh," but everyone at the cable network is still trying to drum up enthusiasum for the followup to their most popular show.
The series, set a few years before The Walking Dead, will finally answer exactly how the virus was made, and for what purpose. Series creator Robert Kirkman is developing the new show as well, but he'll no longer have his own source material to work with, as the comics remain focused on Rick &amp; Co. Instead, we could be spending time with the geniuses who developed a zombie supervirus and then let it turn into a raging epidemic.
What's odd is that AMC is framing this idea as a novel, exciting concept — getting to see what happened before the apocolypse hit. But if anything, there's been a glut of films with that exact premise, and the thing that made Walking Dead stand out was how the characters had to deal with the huge change that wasn't their fault. But plenty of fans will likely take this new series as a chance to jump ship from the staid characters on the original show, which has struggled to find an emotional center or meaningful conflicts from the remaining cast. But, with the same people behind the camera on both shows, there's no reason to believe the same thing won't happen with a new group of people. Especially a group of people that develop a zombie supervirus. And then release it into the world. Which it ruins. It's creating a The Newsroom-like hindsight-is-20/20 timeline, but instead of enabling the characters to somehow be future-predicting supersavants, they'll constantly be messing up — because they can't fix their own mistakes or come up with a cure without contradicting The Walking Dead.
This series isn't even planned to air until 2015, so there's plenty of news to come, and potentially change. But with their only other new shows on the horizon another potential comic book adaptation and another prequel, AMC has their work cut out for them.
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The folks behind The Walking Dead have promised that there will be 27 freaking deaths during tonight's finale, "Welcome to the Tombs." And with the battle between the Grimes Gang and Woodbury rapidly approaching, we're not too surprised. And though we have our own theories on who will bite it (or get bitten) tonight (sorry Carol, Milton, all the Greenes besides Maggie, baby Asskicker, Martinez, and Tyreese's white friends), we want to hear what YOU think. Vote in the poll below, and defend your choice(s) in the comments!
RELATED: 'The Walking Dead' Star Steven Yeun Talks Sunday's Finale
&amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/7003377/"&amp;gt;Who Will Die on 'The Walking Dead' Finale?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
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[PHOTO CREDIT: Frank Ockenfels/AMC]
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The Last Exorcism Part II begins by questioning the nature of identity and how it relates to our past. Are we defined by the events that have scarred us? How much power do we have in changing our natures and, in turn, our fate? These are the questions that our incredibly bendy friend Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) is facing after she escapes from the events of the first film.
The Last Exorcism Part II picks up where the first left off, with clips that quickly illustrate the events of The Last Exorcism for those who are just tuning in. That first film was a documentary-style flick about a preacher named (Cotton Marcus) Patrick Fabian who brings along a camera crew to film his last ever exorcism, a ritual that the preacher no longer believes in until he meets Nell, her father Louis (Louis Herthum) and her brother Caleb (Caleb Landry Jones, once again playing the creepy ginger card). It's not clear whether Nell is exhibiting symptoms of a mental breakdown, perhaps the result of sexual trauma, or if she's actually possessed.
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What was successful about the first, an interesting take on the tired exorcism trope, was that it was really an examination of faith. It wasn't particularly important whether or not Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) was actuallypossessed, just that it caused Cotton to rethink his faith. A similar ambiguity, this time about identity and self-actualization and even sexuality, is played with in the sequel until about two-thirds of the way through, when screenwriters Damien Chazelle and Ed Gass-Donnelly throw any sort of mystery out the window and turn it into some freaky fake voodoo will-to-power nonsense.
After a brief stint at a New Orleans institution, where a nurse secretly snipped a chunk of Nell's hair for her gris-gris bag, Nell is hustled off to a halfway house for girls even though her grasp on reality is still a bit shaky. This house looks more like a really nice old house turned into a dorm, and the supposedly streetwise young girls are just PG-13 racy. With help from the guy who runs the halfway house — is he a therapist? A social worker? — Nell decides she's more than her past, more than a damaged girl who is controlled by the small-minded fears instilled in her by her father. She stops wearing her cross and starts hanging out with the other girls in the house; she even gets a job as a housekeeper at a hotel and begins an awkward romance. The demon inside her — call it Abalam or PTSD or a psychosexual freakout — begins to play tricks on her again. Is she crazy? Is there a cult after her? Is Abalam on the loose? What is the devil inside her? Although it lingers a little too long on the build-up, this is the most enjoyable part of the movie. Bell is interesting to watch, beyond her ability to contort her body, and it's sweet to see Nell bloom. She's equally talented at portraying someone who's losing her grip.
Chazelle and Gass-Donnelly, who also directed, try a mishmash of answers that take us through a meeting with the aforementioned nurse, Cecile (Tarra Riggs), and other followers of what Cecile calls "The Right Hand Path." What happens is a sort of grab bag of religious and occult symbols, from voodoo veves and other magical symbols that are painted on walls (and catch fire!) to mysterious talk of some sort of end-of-days stuff. They even name-check Baron Samedi. That's cool and all, but it doesn't make a lot of sense in context except as a parallel to the Christian rituals in the first film. It looks like the screenwriters did some research, but the bulk of it seems to have come from movies like The Believers and the New Age section of their local bookstore, and it only serves to exoticize these belief systems. That's a nitpicky detail compared to the bigger issue, which is that the audience is bludgeoned with daft answers to Nell's problem. They do raise some interesting questions about identity, destiny and perhaps religion itself that are impossible to discuss without giving away the ending. Still, it's unwieldy at best.
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One small bone we're thrown is that Gass-Donnelly doesn't use the same shaky-cam technique that Daniel Stamm favored in the first film. Although it worked to the movie's favor, it can be rough for those prone to motion sickness. It should also be noted that Chazelle and Ed Gass-Donnelly weren't involved in the first movie; screenwriters Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland didn't return for sequel duty. It will be interesting to see who turns up for the third Last Exorcism. The third? Sure, it hasn't been announced yet, but it would take an act of God (or perhaps Abalam) to put an end to this story.
2.5/5
[Photo Credit: CBS Films]

Dry your eyes, pop culture fanatics, you made it through the 10 saddest moments in movies from the past year. Sadly, (and we really want to emphasize that) we're going to remind you of the 10 moments on television that made you totally lose it. On the bright side, at least you can cry over your favorite TV shows from the comfort of your own home! From shocking character deaths to heartbreaking discoveries, TV really turned up the waterworks quotient this year. But, don't be cry for too long. To spare you (and your non-waterproof mascara) we threw in a few happy tears moments, too. Brace yourselves, there are MAJOR SPOILERS and MAJOR SADNESS ahead in the top 10 tearjerker TV moments from 2012.
The Walking Dead:
We spent Season 2 being bored to tears by The Walking Dead, so imagine our surprise when we spent Season 3 crying actual tears. For Lori. Let that one sink it. We're still trying to do the same with Lori's (Sarah Wayne Callies) stunningly sad death, in which her own son Carl (Chandler Riggs) had to put her out of misery after a C-section.
Mad Men:
It became more and more apparent as Season 5 went on that things weren't going to end well for poor Lane Pryce (Jared Harris), but no one ever imagined it would be so damn depressing. After Don (Jon Hamm) found out about Lane's embezzlement scheme, he asked him to resign, but Lane left Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in a much more harrowing fashion: he hung himself in his office. It's an image no Mad Men fan will ever be able to shake.
Parenthood:
NBC's underrated gem of a drama is always a reliable go-to show when you need a good cry. But this season, it's been a reliable go-to when you need a full-on ugly cry. When Kristina (a seriously Emmy-worthy Monica Potter) discovered she has breast cancer, she had to break the terrible news to her family, starting with her husband Adam (Peter Krause), who could tell with just one look that it was everything they hoped it wasn't. Still, even at her worst, Kristina has continually put the brave in Braverman this season.
Grey's Anatomy:
When Mark Sloane (Eric Dane) died on Grey's Anatomy, it was heartbreaking. He had just professed his love for Lexie (Chyler Leigh), only to watch her die. After she died, he clung to life long enough to make it back to Seattle Grace Mercy West to say goodbye to his daughter and all of his friends. Then, he joined his soul mate in death. — Sydney Bucksbaum
Glee:
Kurt (Chris Colfer) finally worked up the nerve to start forgiving Blaine (Darren Criss) for cheating on him. He called Blaine; you could see the relief in the latter's face when Kurt offered Blaine the chance for a mature conversation over Christmas break. And then, to cap it all off, they exchanged tearful "I love yous," proving there might still be hope left for these two soul mates. — Sydney Bucksbaum
The Vampire Diaries:
Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis) was forced to transition into a vampire-vampire-hunter, he made the choice to not complete the process so his friends would be safe, knowing he would die. He shared one last bottle of whiskey with his friend Damon, and passed peacefully... that is, until a possessed Bonnie (Kat Graham) swooped in at the last minute to complete the process for him. After he died permanently, he showed up as a ghost to say his final goodbye to Jeremy, telling him he has to be the man of the house. Alaric made one more surprise cameo at the beginning of this season, invisible to everyone including Damon (Ian Somerhalder). He sat next to Damon, listening to him rant about being left alone, and summed everything up in one simple sentence: "I miss you too, buddy." — Sydney Bucksbaum
Sons of Anarchy:
The death of Jax Teller’s best friend Opie (Ryan Hurst) was one of the most brutal, heartbreaking deaths in the series history, and probably TV history. Not only did Opie sacrifice himself for the club, submitting to a prison brawl orchestrated by the warden in which multiple inmates are allowed to beat him to death, but we saw every second of it. Left to defend himself with only a lead pipe, Opie is quickly brought to his knees, killed by the final screen-center blow to the back of the head while Jax watches from the next room. No amount of tears could wash that image from an SoA fan’s mind. — Kelsea Stahler
Community:
The legendary (and long awaited) “Virtual Systems Analysis” episode of Community sent viewers full-force into the brain of Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), which is at once hilarious, horrifying, and heartbreaking. When the conclusion of the episode landed Abed into a manifestation of his biggest fears — recalling memories of his time being ostracized, bullied, and shoved into lockers during his middle school days — the oft masked inner pain of the character was revealed vividly. Abed’s psychological journey reminded us that no matter how old we grow or how far we go, the children within us — and all the sadness we earned in childhood — will follow us diligently throughout, just aching to take over whenever something frightening or hurtful happens.” — Michael Arbeiter
Louie:
The stellar Season 3 of Louie could make us laugh until we cried (i.e. the doll scene in the finale), but sometimes the groundbreaking show just plain broke our hearts. When Louie (Louis C.K.) went on his date with Liz/Tape Recorder (the brilliant Parker Posey) in "Daddy's Girlfriend, Pt. 2", it became apparent she is someone who is suffering. When they finally make it to the roof, she tells a worried Louie "The only way I'd fall is if I jumped. That's why you're afraid to come over here. Because a part of you wants to jump, because it'd be so easy. But I don't want to jump. I'd never do that. I'm having too good of a time." But its obvious, from the sadness and desperation in her eyes, she's thought about it. She's always thinking about it. The scene is even sadder when you know what eventually happens to her character at the end of the season.
Parks and Recreation:
See! Like we promised, it's not all super sad stuff. Who didn't cry the happiest of happy tears when Sexy Elf King Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) proposed to the world's greatest human ever Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler)? She didn't want to forget a single moment of the romantic surprise, and neither did we.
[Photo credits: AMC (2), NBC, ABC, Fox, The CW, FX, NBC, FX, NBC]
More:
The Miserable: The 10 Saddest Movie Moments in 2012
Death, Destruction, and Klaine: The Year in Television Spoilers
Staff Picks: The 15 Best TV Shows of 2012 (And the 5 Worst)
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First, let's start with the bad news: The Mayan calendar (and, more importantly, a stellar John Cusack movie) have confirmed that the world is ending in a few weeks. I know, right? And we were all totally going to lose those 15 lbs and start journaling in 2013. Then there's the even worse news: You missed a lot of really good TV in 2012. So much good, in fact, that you have no hope of catching up before the end of days. That's where we (and the good news) come in — we've rounded up the best TV spoilers of 2012, so you can spend your remaining days with your family, or whatever. SPOILERS AHEAD, but sorry — no one will ever know who actually killed Alison DiLaurentis on Pretty Little Liars.
Let's start with the little guys:
How I Met Your Mother: Drama! It was eventually revealed that Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) is marrying Robin (Cobie Smulders). Also, Victoria (Ashley Williams) left her future husband at the alter for Ted (Josh Radnor), but they broke up afterwards because Ted wouldn't stop being friends with Robin. Those crazy kids!
The Office: Angela (Angela Kinsey) found out that her husband was cheating on her with Oscar (Oscar Nuñez). Way to be a good coworker, Oscar.
Parks and Recreation: Speaking of workplace comedies, Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Ben (Adam Scott) finally became engaged! It was adorable.
You still with me? Good. Because it all goes downhill from here. Time for some suicides and martyrdom:
Sons of Anarchy: The universally beloved Opie (Ryan Hurst) was brutally murdered early in the show's fifth season — sacrificing his life for the club in the most horrendous way possible (he was beaten to death with a lead pipe).
Mad Men: Then there was the tragic tale of Lane Price (Jared Harris), the British sap who hung himself in his office after he found himself in financial trouble, and was fired by Don. Not a dry eye in the house.
But not all major deaths on TV this year were via suicide — 2012 was huge for killing, or being killed by, children. Let's explore, shall we?
Breaking Bad: In the former category, the artist formerly known as Landry (Jesse Plemons) from Friday Night Lights (now known as Todd on Breaking Bad) murdered a small child after said child witnessed Todd, Walt, and Jesse robbing a train. It was probably the most disturbing moment on TV this year, which says a lot, given our next spoiler.
The Walking Dead: This one sounds horrific, but it actually made a lot of people happy — Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) died via C-section childbirth during a Walker attack on Walking Dead. Doc Herschel and the rest of the Grimes Gang were busy fighting Walkers in the prison, so Lori's son Carl (Chandler Riggs) had to watch while Maggie (Lauren Cohan) tore out her baby with a dirty knife. Then Carl shot her, before she rose again. It was a classic mother/son coming-of-age moment.
Downton Abbey: This one really hurt. Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) from Downton also died during childbirth — but she didn't become a zombie, so she should just shut up and count her blessings.
Those were all really depressing, so let's move on to justice — quite a few criminals were caught in 2012:
Breaking Bad: First and foremost there's Walter White (Bryan Cranston), the drug kingpin currently known as Heisenberg . We haven't yet seen the aftermath, but the first half of Season 5 ended with Walt's brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris) learning his dirty, methy secret. Dun dun dun.
Dexter: This was a long time coming — Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), the brilliant Miami Metro detective, finally learned that her brother is a serial killer. So far, she's been taking it surprisingly well.
The Killing: Oh, we finally found out who killed Rosie Larsen. It was her Aunt Terry, sort of. Then the show got canceled.
Homeland: Nick Brody (Damian Lewis) was found out and captured by the CIA much, much earlier than anticipated. He's now working with them as a double agent, which is never easy when your other agency is TERRORISM.
Enough with all the humans. Supernatural spoiler time:
The Vampire Diaries: Elena (Nina Dobrev) became a vampire at the end of the third season's finale. This season, she totally dumped Stefan (Paul Wesley) and slept with Damon (Ian Somerhalder). Bad girls do it well.
Fringe: Peter (Josh Jackson) willingly turned himself into an Observer after his daughter, Etta (Georgina Haig), was killed. It was horrifying. He's going bald!
True Blood: The newly single Bill (Stephen Moyer) willingly drank the blood of the ancient, evil vampire Lilith at the end of last season — rising as an evil entity, and effectively earning the nickname "Billith." Run, Sookeh!
Now let's move on to family drama:
Revenge: Season 1 of ABC's new(ish) hit ended with Emily (Emily VanCamp) learning that her long-lost mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) was still alive, while everyone else thought that Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe) had died. She hadn't, and Emily's mother ended up being very, very boring.
Revolution: Meanwhile, over on NBC's latest hit, good-guy Miles (Billy Burke) was revealed to have started the evil Monroe Militia — the same militia that recently kidnapped his nephew. (And they still haven't turned the lights on.)
Game of Thrones: In a case of outright family treachery, Theon (Alfie Allen) betrayed the Starks by storming Winterfell, pretending to kill young Bran and Rickon, and slaughtering many of their people.
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To say tonight's episode of The Walking Dead changes EVERYTHING for the Grimes Gang doesn't even begin to cover it. After a chilling but relatively low-key visit to Woodbury last week, TWD was back to its Season 3 breakneck pace tonight, only this time, several lives were devastatingly, irreversibly damaged forever. Please do not read any further if you have not yet seen "Killer Within" as MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND.
I always felt like the attack on Hershel's farm let the Gang (and fans) off pretty easy, only offing a couple of Hershel's kids and dumping Andrea with Michonne. "Killer Within" — which has two very different but completely applicable meanings — left the gang in far worse shape than last year's finale, and not just because they now have a baby AND an old guy in crutches to take care of. No, T-Dogg and Lori are now gone, along with (one would guess) whatever semblance of hope Rick had left, and, well, any bit of childhood Carl may have had left. Having to shoot your mom will do that to a kid. This will probably be the first recap where I won't make fun of Carl, at all. I just can't tonight. He earned it.
So the first "killer within" ended up being the mysterious figure who had been watching Carol from afar. (I was wrong — it wasn't Merle. But Merle's on his way!) The cold open found this mysterious figure, whose face we never saw, cutting the Grimes Gang chains with an ax, then luring in nearby Walkers with hearts and dead animals and other cute things of that nature. It ended up being Andrew, the "other" bad prisoner who Rick left for dead in a Walker-filled yard. Now, I get why he might be pissed, but letting hundreds of Walkers take over a prison, thinking he could then defeat them after they turned the Grimes Gang into more Walkers, was a very stupid idea. Also, it didn't even work to his advantage.
But more on that later, because his Walker-raid was 80 percent of the episode. The other killer within, and the one that wreaked the most emotional havoc (sorry, T-Dogg) was Lori's baby. Since Carol was off fighting her way through the Walkers, along with everyone else except for Carl and Maggie, Maggie had to brutally slice open Lori's belly — with absolutely no medical experience, not to mention surgical equipment — and yank it out. Think Prometheus, but with higher emotional stakes and more children present. Lori knew that trying a vaginal birth (she wasn't even fully dilated — sorry for this part, dudes) would probably kill her baby, while the C-Section would mean her own life. She chose the latter, going out as a hero of sorts, but also putting Maggie and Carl in the worst position, ever. Maggie had to kill her, and someone would have to put a bullet in her brain when she rose again. (Has she seen the show Dexter? Doesn't she know what seeing their mother in a pool of blood does to a child?)
Lori saying goodbye to one child while sacrificing herself for another was tragically beautiful, and Sarah Wayne Callies, Chandler Riggs, and Lauren Cohan acted the crap out of this scene. Everyone realized what was happening and tried to appear brave to everyone else's benefit, but still — watching a mother say goodbye to her son in this horrible, horrible manner was gut-wrenching. She told him that he was good, and asked him to always be good — to do the right thing, avoid the easy way out, and not let this world spoil him. She hugged him, in tears, as the friend who would soon be her killer sat two feet away, sobbing, with a knife. Her final words were "Goodnight, love." Try to forget this scene, ever. After she passed, Carl told Maggie that he'd be the one to put her down. "She's my mom," he insisted. I'd like to thank Glen Mazzara for not making us see that extremely disturbing event, as hearing the gunshot offscreen was bad enough.
Rick's reaction to Lori's death was possibly even more gut-wrenching that the scene that preceded it. The Grimes Gang fighters (and Beth and Hershel) had just re-convened in the yard, after finding T-Dogg's mangled corpse and Carol's scarf, leading to the popular belief that she had died (more on that later). Carl came out, along with Maggie and the bloody (but alive!) baby, and they didn't even have to say anything. Everyone knew. Rick was in disbelief, asking, "Where is she?" — but when he saw Carl, dead-eyed and staring at the ground, he knew exactly how things went down. I never thought I'd throw in Walking Dead for any acting nominations, but I'd put this in Andrew Lincoln's Emmy reel. Jesus. The outpouring of grief was — I know I keep using this word, but gut-wrenching. He fell to the ground in an ugly cry that would even impress Aaron Paul, while Glenn comforted the traumatized Maggie, and Carl stood motion and emotion-less.
NEXT: The other, terrible stuff that happened.
So, back to killer number one, Andrew: Before the prisonpocalypse began, the Grimes Gang ran into the nice prisoners, Alex and Oscar, in the yard. They were fed up with living with their dead friends' corpses, and things like that. They swore again that they were petty criminals — not murderers — and would do anything to help the Grimes Gang. But Rick 2.0 doesn't have time for new friends, and probably still has a cop's natural distrust of felons. So despite T-Dogg's pleas for empathy (T-Dogg said more than one line, and expressed an opinion — should have known he was a goner), Rick kept them locked up, and he and the Gang's fighters left the yard to run a soil-related errand.
Inside, Hershel decided to take his first post-amputation walk in the yard, and brought Beth, Lori, and Carl with him. AKA, all of the essentially helpless ones. The rest of the gang, who were now in various parts of the yard gathering wood to burn Walkers, watched from a distance. Hershel was happy, they were happy — it was a heartwarming moment. Until seconds later, when hoards of Walkers were spotted outside the gates. "Can't we have one good day?" Glenn asked. No, Glenn. You can not.
Then, things got really quiet. The mood during the final, pre-prisonpocalypse moments was eerily spectacular, as we knew that one group was about to get brutally attacked. But, which one? Before we found out, we saw Lori and Rick exchange loving, heartwarming looks from across the yard. She even smiled! From Lori's perspective, Hershel was okay, the Walkers would be burned in favor of healthy soil, her kid was safe, and Rick was truly looking at her for the first time in months. Things were okay, considering. How sweet. So, of course, Walkers attacked. Like, dozens upon dozens of them. Beth got Hershel to safety through one door, while Maggie ran up and saved Lori and Carl, locking the three of them in the free cell that would eventually become Lori's birthing room. T-Dogg and Carol fought to close off one area of the yard, and T-Dogg was promptly bitten. Dammit. On the other end, Rick, Daryl, and Glenn teamed up with Alex and Oscar to fight for a different part of the prison. So everyone was separated (I'd take my chances with Group D), and one prominent member of the Gang was already mortally f***ed. This was like, 18 minutes in.
But things quickly got much, much worse, as someone inside (Andrew) turned on the prison alarm system, attracting even more Walkers. Rick was quick to blame Alex and Oscar, but they were his only hope for turning it off, so. He ran around the prison shouting for Lori and Carl (heart, breaking) until they finally found the generator, as well an ax-toting Andrew. Rick and Andrew fought while Daryl held the door, and eventually inmate Oscar ended up with a gun in his hands, aimed at both of them. Despite Andrew's pleas, Oscar made the wise decision to keep Rick around.
Meanwhile, over in Carol and T-Dogg's hellhole, the duo continued to push through groups of Walkers, even though Carol was quick to remind T-Dogg of "the pact" that would basically mean her shooting him so he wouldn't turn. But he wanted to push through as long as he could and keep fighting, which he did until he heroically gave his entire body to a group of Walkers to let Carol escape. Her fate is still unknown ($50 on her still being alive), but T-Dogg definitely experienced the most gruesome death of any lead character on this show. We hardly knew ye.
Meanwhile, in Woodbury... It's hard to focus too much on Michonne's growing distrust of the Governor (stemming from the fact that she knows he killed those innocent men) and Andrea's disturbing flirtations with him when Lori and T-Dogg just bit the dust, but we must. Watching the ice cold Michonne passive-agressively grilling the Governor, basically telling him that she knows he's a big fat lying liar was a treat, even if it means she's now on his radar. That's not a place I'd want to be. But he got Andrea to trust him even more, luring her with booze, sad personal stories, and that sweet southern accent. He even told her his name! (Philip.) Prediction: This will not lead to good things.
Michonne wanted to make for the coast, find a boat, and live forever on some theoretical magical island with her pal Andrea. I know just the place! But that wasn't going to happen, because Andrea spent the rest of the episode bonding with someone even more confusing: Merle. Merle and Andrea had a ditching by the Grimes Gang in common, and both were tempted by the idea of finding out what the Hell had happened to them. Merle clearly loves Daryl just as much as everyone else does (back off), so he eventually got through to the Governor when he begged him for a rescue mission. "You get more concrete information, and I'll go with you myself," Gov said. To be continued.
Well, that was a lot. Rick and Carl will certainly never be the same, and there's a good chance that Rick's abilities as a leader have been compromised. Also, how are they going to find baby formula? To bring us back to happier days, let's all laugh about the time Rick, Daryl, Carol, and T-Dogg caught Glen and Maggie having sex in the guard tower. Haha, that was hilarious!
Shout out your thoughts in the comments, when you're done crying. (You better be crying. Have you no soul?)
Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna
[PHOTO CREDIT: AMC]
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Returning Series: The Walking Dead
Premiere Date: Sunday, Oct. 14 at 9pm ET
Number of Seasons On the Air: This will be The Walking Dead's third season on the air, but so far we've only seen a few episodes with new showrunner Glen Mazzara.
You’d Like It If…: You don't mind depressing, post-apocalyptic scenarios. You find dystopias to be fascinating. You enjoy the intense, morally ambiguous debates about how to govern a government-less society on shows like Fringe and Battlestar Galactica, but think both of those shows would benefit from more gore.
You’d Hate It If…: You like all of your zombie fare to be as fast-paced as, say, 28 Days Later. Walking Dead can be a slow burn. Also, if you're not a horror fan.
Walking Dead’s Formula: Day of the Dead's zombies meet Battlestar Galactica's band of lost, aimless misfits meets Dallas' southern accents meets The Road's horrifying portrayal of human-on-human post-apocalyptic violence.
Ratings: Pretty damn sexy for a cable series. Last year's finale brought in 9 million viewers, which is like four times the amount of your average NBC comedy.
Accolades: None of the actors have received any Emmy love, but the series has won for its makeup and prosthetics two years in a row. In 2011, Walking Dead received a Golden Globe Best TV Drama Series nom. Not bad!
Where The Walking Dead Left Off: Phew. Got a sec? After an attack on Hershel's farm (which resulted in the deaths of a few of his many family members), Andrea was separated from the gang, and eventually teamed up with badass newcomer Michonne. Rick told the rest of the Grimes Gang — who congregated on an abandoned highway — that he had killed Shane, and that the walker virus had infected all of them. In Walking Dead speak, that means that even dying a natural death will turn people into zombies. Not. Cool. As the show faded to credits, a large prison was shown, looming in the background.
Where The Walking Dead Is Headed: To prison! Most of the Grimes Gang will battle walkers in the aforementioned prison, where they'll find, at least temporarily, some cots, food, and protection. Andrea and Michonne will eventually meet up with the mysterious new villain, the Governor, who has developed some sort of utopian village amidst all of the chaos. Of course, nothing in the village will be as it seems. We still don't know when these two plotlines will intersect, but Norman Reedus told us that they definitely will at some point this season.
Cast: Where do I start? We have Brit Andrew Lincoln as Rick, the former Sheriff charged with making most of the impossible moral decisions on the show. Sarah Wayne Callies is his pregnant wife, Lori, who had an affair with Rick's recently deceased, former best friend Shane. Chandler Riggs is their son Carl, who wears a stupid hat and does stupid things. Steven Yeun is the priceless Glenn, Lauren Cohan is Glenn's new ladylove, Maggie, Scott Wilson is Maggie's dad, Hershel, and Emily Kinney is Maggie's frequently suicidal sister, Beth. Laurie Holden is the long-suffering Andrea, who has teamed up with newcomer Danai Gurira's Michonne. Rounding out the gang are IronE Singleton as T-Dog, who maybe has one line per episode, and Melissa McBride as Carol, who lost her daughter Sophia after a painfully long search last season. David Morrissey will join the cast later this season as The Governor, one of the comics' main antagonists, who leads another pack of survivors. Oh, but wait, and am I forgetting someone? Oh yes, Norman Reedus stars as Daryl Dixon, the most badass, wonderful, crossbow-wielding character on the show. We love him. We love him so much.
High Point: The final three episodes of last season, which almost made up for the torturous pace of the entire first half of the season (see below). First was the impossible debate over executing teenage prisoner Randall, then there was the heartbreaking death of father figure Dale. That was week one. Then came Shane's final betrayal — convinced that he would be a better father and leader than Rick, he led him into the woods for a good old fashioned murder. Rick got to him first, stabbing him to death. Rick's young son, Carl, was watching the whole time, and when he shot the newly zombie-fied Shane in the head, a massive number of walkers headed their way. Eek! This led to an epic finale, where the gang (arguably) won the battle at Hershel's farm, and learned that they would all be walkers one day. Rough.
Low Point: The first seven episodes of last season. We love Frank Darabont, but dedicating seven episodes to the search for a minor character — while nothing else happened — was an epic fail. By the end, the reveal that she was a zombie in Hersel's barn the whole time wasn't even that shocking.
Who To Watch It With: Your significant other, because you might need someone to cuddle up to during the scary parts. If you don't have an SO, I'd recommend buying a teddy bear.
Who Not to Watch It With: Frank Darabont.
Appropriate Food and Beverage Pairing: You might want to avoid food for this one, as some of the walkers on this show are pretty vomit-inducing. (See: the "well walker" below.) As for beverages, I'd go for a nice, cold beer — there won't be many after the zombie apocalypse!
Cringeworthy moment: Try to forget the well walker. We dare you.
Cast Member to Root For: Daryl Dixon. We're a sucker for this occasionally profound, fiercely loyal redneck with a heart of gold. His kind words for Carol last season were pretty heartbreaking, and he's not afraid to do what needs to be done — even if that means shooting a beloved character (Dale) in the face.
Cast Member to Root Against: We hate to say it, but Lori. The female characters on this show don't get a lot of love (though we do like Maggie, Carol, and occasionally Andrea), but Lori is just the worst. She's a classic damsel in distress type on a show that really just needs some badasses. Also, she slept with Shane, which is pretty gross.
What You’re Most Likely to Yell at the Screen: "BEHIND YOU!"
So, Will You Watch It?: Hell yes you will! It's water cooler fare at its finest, and even though it's up against some fierce competition (cough cough, Revenge), this one is worth a DVR at the very least. Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna [PHOTO CREDIT: AMC] MORE: Create Your Own Adventure: 'The Walking Dead' 'Walking Dead' Season 3 Photo Puzzle: Almost There! — EXCLUSIVE CONTEST 'Walking Dead' Season 3 Spoilers: Lori &amp; Rick "Eroding from the Inside Out"

In a post-Harry Potter Avatar and Lord of the Rings world the descriptors "sci-fi" and "fantasy" conjure up particular imagery and ideas. The Hunger Games abolishes those expectations rooting its alternate universe in a familiar reality filled with human characters tangible environments and terrifying consequences. Computer graphics are a rarity in writer/director Gary Ross' slow-burn thriller wisely setting aside effects and big action to focus on star Jennifer Lawrence's character's emotional struggle as she embarks on the unthinkable: a 24-person death match on display for the entire nation's viewing pleasure. The final product is a gut-wrenching mature young adult fiction adaptation diffused by occasional meandering but with enough unexpected choices to keep audiences on their toes.
Panem a reconfigured post-apocalyptic America is sectioned off into 12 unique districts and ruled under an iron thumb by the oppressive leaders of The Capitol. To keep the districts producing their specific resources and prevent them from rebelling The Capitol created The Hunger Games an annual competition pitting two 18-or-under "tributes" from each district in a battle to the death. During the ritual tribute "Reaping " teenage Katniss (Lawrence) watches as her 12-year-old sister Primrose is chosen for battle—and quickly jumps to her aid becoming the first District 12 citizen to volunteer for the games. Joined by Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) a meek baker's son and the second tribute Effie the resident designer and Haymitch a former Hunger Games winner-turned-alcoholic-turned-mentor Katniss rides off to The Capitol to train and compete in the 74th Annual Hunger Games.
The greatest triumph of The Hunger Games is Ross' rich realization of the book's many worlds: District 12 is painted as a reminiscent Southern mining town haunting and vibrant; The Capitol is a utopian metropolis obsessed with design and flair; and The Hunger Games battleground is a sprawling forest peppered with Truman Show-esque additions that remind you it's all being controlled by overseers. The small-scale production value adds to the character-first approach and even when the story segues to larger arenas like a tickertape parade in The Capitol's grand Avenue of Tributes hall it's all about Katniss.
For fans the script hits every beat a nearly note-for-note interpretation of author Suzanne Collins' original novel—but those unfamiliar shouldn't worry about missing anything. Ross knows his way around a sharp screenplay (he's the writer of Big Pleasantville and Seabiscuit) and he's comfortable dropping us right into the action. His characters are equally as colorful as Panem Harrelson sticking out as the former tribute enlivened by the chance to coach winners. He's funny he's discreet he's shaded—a quality all the cast members share. As a director Ross employs a distinct often-grating perspective. His shaky cam style emphasizes the reality of the story but in fight scenarios—and even simple establishing shots of District 12's goings-on—the details are lost in motion blur.
But the dread of the scenario is enough to make Hunger Games an engrossing blockbuster. The lead-up to the actual competition is an uncomfortable and biting satire of reality television sports and everything that commands an audience in modern society. Katniss' brooding friend Gale tells her before she departs "What if nobody watched?" speculating that carnage might end if people could turn away. Unfortunately they can't—forcing Katniss and Peeta to become "stars" of the Hunger Games. The duo are pushed to gussy themselves up put on a show and play up their romance for better ratings. Lawrence channels her reserved Academy Award-nominated Winter's Bone character to inhabit Katniss' frustration with the system. She's great at hunting but she doesn't want to kill. She's compassionate and considerate but has no interest in bowing down to the system. She's a leader but she knows full well she's playing The Capitol's game. Even with 23 other contestants vying for the top spot—like American Idol with machetes complete with Ryan Seacrest stand-in Caesar Flickerman (the dazzling Stanley Tucci)—Katniss' greatest hurdle is internal. A brave move for a movie aimed at a young audience.
By the time the actual Games roll around (the movie clocks in at two and a half hours) there's a need to amp up the pace that never comes and The Hunger Games loses footing. Katniss' goal is to avoid the action hiding in trees and caves waiting patiently for the other tributes to off themselves—but the tactic isn't all that thrilling for those watching. Luckily Lawrence Hutcherson and the ensemble of young actors still deliver when they cross paths and particular beats pack all the punch an all-out deathwatch should. PG-13 be damned the film doesn't skimp on the bloodshed even when it comes to killing off children. The Hunger Games bites off a lot for the first film of a franchise and does so bravely and boldly. It may not make it to the end alive but it doesn't go down without a fight.
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The Walking Dead delivered punch and side-winding punch in its March 18 finale, but the cast has no interest in slowing down. Viewers have to wait months until the October premiere is upon us, but the series' cast is already looking to the dire, dangerous future. It goes without saying that this article contains some Season Two spoilers.
In this featurette from AMC, Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori) describes the tumult that is about to befall onscreen heroes Lori and Rick in the aftermath of Rick's decision to kill Shane. Also on hand to discuss their characters' Season Three journeys are Andrew Lincoln (Rick), Laurie Holden (Andrea), Stephen Yueng (Glenn), Chandler Riggs (Carl) and more.
The video doesn't include any commentary from the newest cast member, Danai Gurira (Michonne), but from what everyone else has to say, Season Three is going to be a wonderland of darkness for the new character to make a mess of.
Of course, if you really can't wait until October, AMC has a social Facebook game to keep your blood pumping until it's pumpkin-carving time again.